Have you ever heard of a butter-less butter tart? Well, if you’re ever going to be introduced to one, of course it will be here on this blog — where else, right? ? Nope, not a spec of fake butter in there, no margarine or oil, no refined sugar, no dairy, no eggs, and no gluten… But, yes, they are real — I promise ? ..and real simple to make too!
You see, butter tarts are kind of a quintessential little treat around these parts. They’re stocked at almost any Canadian grocery store, they’re proudly displayed in bakery windows and cafes… Actually the nearest town to me (located in the middle of nowhere) only has about 5 shops total(!), and one of them is a butter tart shop ?. That’s how serious Canadians can be when it comes to butter tarts! Making them at home is also quite popular, though I have to admit I always just bought in the past since they are so ubiquitous…
So they’ve been on my Canadian-Classics-To-Tackle list for a while, but somehow never a priority because I’ve been trying to keep away from dairy-free butters altogether (or at least as much as possible) in my recipes. In the back of my mind it seemed like some kind of butter substitute would have had to be involved in the making of a butter tart. But then… I was working on this maple pie recipe the other week and realized it actually was sooo close to a butter tart — suddenly I saw the light and realized I can do this without the butter…. and some experiments ensued…
Now, when I mentioned that they are quite close to a maple pie — I mean it! The only real difference between maple pie and butter tarts is that they are meant to be a touch less maple-flavored (so I substituted some of the maple for coconut nectar / agave, but still left enough of the maple to have its signature, velvety flavor in there). Also (for the uninitiated) butter tarts involve raisins or pecans… or sometimes crushed walnuts, though I never went for that kind, myself.
One drawback I must admit in this recipe: the top doesn’t get the signature crispy layer in the same way as the dairy/sugar variety, but honestly it’s hardly noticeable to me and I’m just happy I get to have butter tarts again ? Plus, if you sprinkle your tarts with finely chopped pecans you wouldn’t know the difference. The trade off is: BUTTER TARTS, de-buttered, de-glutened, de-sugared… So so long as you’re willing to accept that teensy little hitch, the rest is pure butter tart magic…
P.S. I hope you’ve been enjoying these Canadian desserts — promise I’m giving it a break after this one ? — once I get onto a theme, it’s hard to stop!
- 6 tbsp white rice flour (I used a finely ground flour)
- 2 tbsp cashew butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 tsp salt
- ¼ cup crushed pecan pieces or raisins
- ½ cup coconut cream (scooped out of a can of full fat coconut milk chilled overnight)
- 6 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut nectar (or agave. Can also just use all maple for a stronger maple flavor)
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 6-cup muffin pan and set aside.
- Process all crust ingredients in a food processor until the mixture begins to form a ball (note if the mixture is too runny, add a bit more flour, if too dry, add a bit more maple syrup. It should be very very soft and pliable but not sticky -- so you can form it easily into a ball with your hands). Form the mixture into a ball and knead briefly. Divide into 5-6 parts (you can make 6 shorter cups or 5 taller ones -- like mine). Place the dough inside each muffin cup and form into a crust along the base and walls with your fingers. Sprinkle the base evenly with the crushed pecan pieces or raisins (in filling ingredients). Set aside.
- Place all remaining filling ingredients in a small blender (I used my magic bullet) and process until smooth. Divide this mixture between the cups (pouring it over the pecans / raisins). (Note: it will be very liquid at this stage -- that is normal. It will set as it bakes).
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool thoroughly to set before (ideally overnight or at least a few hours, or enjoy carefully after cooling for a bit if you prefer them warm and gooey -- just be careful, that filling will be HOT!). Enjoy!
x Audrey
These are so good, I’ve already made them twice this week! My only difference was I did not have cashew butter on hand so I replaced with almond butter. I also used 1/2 cup of coconut milk, which gave me A LOT of syrup filling, so I just doubled the dough and made a bunch of little tarts. My hubby said these are better than butter tarts 😁 Thanks for the delicious recipe!! 🍮
Honestly I have never commented on a recipe before… That being said Oh my goodness these are amazing! I’ve recently had food sensitivity testing done and now I must eat vegan treats/baked goods/sweets. I was teased by the sight of maple pecan tarts all week at work and I was determined to find a recipe that wasn’t ‘raw’. I made the filling using honey instead of coconut nectar as I ran out but it turned out great! I tried the filling raw and thought this is sweet and tardy but not buttery, my was I wrong! When it bakes it bubbles like a traditional butter tart, it’s truly magic how the mix actually tastes buttery in the end!!! I can’t stop thinking or talking about these! My only issue was I had to turn down my oven as they browned too fast. I also wish they were a bit less gummy-I will try a slightly lesser amount of tapioca next time. Thank you so much for this recipe!
These are baking right now so I can’t comment on the taste. However I found there was more filling than there was enough dough for tarts? Not quite sure what I did wrong but I still look forward to eating them!
Hi Jill. Hmmm.. Not sure why there would be more filling! There should be just enough for the 6, but having too much filling is better than not having enough at least ;) I hope you enjoyed them nonetheless.
Hey, I dared it.. my first recipe test with you.. we are on a butter tart roll over here in Berlin, Germany and I was adamant about a vegan version. I love the taste of these, although they taste completely different, I find. But heavenly… the crust I found a bit too crumbly while working it and bit dry when eating. More like a cookie, but as I said.. a heavenly one
Hi Susanne. Thanks for sharing — I’m glad you’re enjoying these :)
These look AMAZING and I love the simple ingredients! Can these be left out at room temperature, or do they need to be refrigerated?
Hi Alyssa. They can be left out at room temperature. I just like to keep mine refrigerated so they last a bit longer and also because I like them a bit chilled, but it’s just a personal preference. Enjoy!
Delicious! This recipe was exactly what I was looking for and it turned out really well. For the filling I didn’t have coconut nectar so I added some coconut sugar and the result was great. Thanks
Hi Deborah — so happy you liked it. And I’m glad to know coconut sugar works as a sub here :) Thank you for sharing.
These tarts are delicious, I just made some! Although my filling didn’t brown anywhere close to the colour of yours. I had to take them out of the oven so the crust didn’t burn. Any ideas where I went wrong?
Hmmm… interesting. Well I’m glad you liked them :)
About the burning, do you know if your oven temperature is accurate? Most ovens fluctuate quite wildly, so you’d only know if you use an oven thermometer (they’re like $5 at walmart, etc.). Assuming you followed the recipe exactly, it sounds like maybe yours is a little on the hotter side, in which case I’d set the temp slightly lower next time. Also, make sure the crust walls aren’t much higher than the filling so that they aren’t exposed for as long. Otherwise I don’t think it matters much tbh — so long as they taste good, the color is by addition :)
It turned out great! We will be making it. It was a dish the whole family loves.
That’s awesome — so happy to hear everyone enjoyed them :) Thank you for sharing!
Is there another flour that be used in place of white rice flour? I just try to avoid white rice if at all possible. These look amazing by the way:)
Hi Sheryll, you can try oat flour, brown rice flour, or millet, etc. I tried it with sorghum — it works overall, which makes me think that most gf grains will work, but I didn’t enjoy the texture as much as with a very finely ground white flour which is why I recommended it in the end. Let me know if you give it a go with another grain — I’d love to hear what you think.
I’ve never had a buttered butter tart or a butter-less butter tart. I’ve also never used the word butter that many times in one sentence before I don’t think :D But it looks like sweet caramelized bliss! Like caramel in a cute little cup of a crust. I am quite enjoying this Canadian kick, I’m learning about all sorts of new sweets :)
Hehe. Yes, I know — I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a butter tart in the US, though I’m sure they exist :) But here they’re like a staple. Basically a flakey / cookie crust with a caramelized warm sweet gooey filling… hard not to like ?. I think I’ve run out of Canadian things to talk about though ?? at least for a few days… ?
Oh. My. Gosh Audrey!!! Amazing! Wow! I am so making these ASAP. It’s super weird because I was just taking a short work trip with a colleague and he pointed out this tiny little bakery in a tiny little Canadian town and said they had won the province’s competition for best butter tart and that I had to try them. I said I was impressed but inside knew I would probably never have a butter tart again (insert sad gaze out the window here). And then low and behold, you’ve done it! Well done!!! Cannot wait to try these :)
Oh, now that’s funny — Canadians really take their butter tarts quite seriously! ? Glad I could help you out here :)